Pressure-treated wood beams are used frequently in defining boundaries of landscape projects and play areas, such as swing sets, sandboxes and bocce courts. Pressure-treated woods are used because of their durable nature, and are commonly treated with chemical preservatives.
Safety checklists for public and private playgrounds have been issued by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”, www.cpsc.gov/kids/kidsafety/plgdlist.pdf) and KaBOOM!™, a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. (www.kaboom.org.) Both recommend that all playground surfaces have at least 9–12 inches of wood chip mulch, sand or pea gravel, or be comprised of mats made of safety tested rubber or rubber like materials, and that no sharp points or edges be present. Landscape ties and timbers are susceptible to cracking and/or splintering.
In 1999 alone, it is estimated that there were more than 200,000 playground-equipment injuries. Most of these injuries occurred when children fell onto a surface that did not adequately protect against the fall. Through organizations such as the CPSC, the American Society of Testing Materials, and the Independent Play Equipment Manufacturers Association, the federal government and playground equipment industry have issued voluntary safety guidelines. There remains, however, no federally mandated standards. Several states, such as California, are moving toward mandated standards to ensure millions of young children will play and learn in safer environments.
It is, therefore, desirable to provide a means for covering new wooden structures and retrofitting existing ones with a protective material to prevent or minimize injuries associated with such structures, such as splinters and injuries sustained in falls onto such structures. The means should preferably be easy to install and aesthetically pleasing.
Prior art wooden beam protective systems are concerned with prolonging the useful life of the wooden beams. For example, some systems utilizing a resilient pad or “sock” of some sort, perhaps having water-removing capability, onto or into which a railroad tie is to be placed, prolong the operational life of the railroad tie in railroad environments. Such systems, however, do nothing to address the falling or splintering hazard that the exposed sections of wooden beams present to people, particularly children.